All young adults from the 90s would remember Orkut. It was 'the' social media for Indians before the likes of Facebook and Twitter took over the space.
The creator of orkut.com, Orkut Buyukkokten, has come up with a new platform: Hello, a social network that is primarily focused on connecting smartphone users.
Buyukkokten talks to Onmanorama about his latest venture and more.
Q. What is 'Hello' and how is it different from Facebook or Orkut?
Hello is a mobile-first social network that connects people around passions. We call these passion-based communities, Personas. Personas let you connect to people and content around your areas of interest. On Hello, we are making it easier for you to meet people. You never know what will happen until you say 'hello'. We created a community where people always feel welcome without being judged.
Q. From your 'Orkut' days to 'Hello', what are the changes you noticed in the social networking landscape?
The social networking space has changed tremendously since I launched orkut.com. Everything has been transitioning from desktop and web browsers to mobile. We consume and access search, shopping, news, video and social media mostly on mobile devices now. The consumers have also changed; the previous generation witnessed the launch of social media, whereas the current generation is growing up with it. Also, a lot many people are suffering from anxiety and depression resulting from social media usage now. I believe it is because most of us represent ourselves online the way we want people to see us instead of who we truly are.
Q. What is the scope and relevance for another social media platform? Will it be able to coexist with popular ones such as Facebook and Twitter?
There are successful social networks connecting millions of people. These social networks are primarily used to broadcast and spread content, privately message each other, or anonymously comment and share on discussion boards. These networks don't allow us to connect the way we do in real life. Real connections happen when we put our guard down, become vulnerable and express our true authentic selves. Real connections are about a feeling of togetherness. Hello allows you to connect to communities and people who share our passions. hello.com serves a very different purpose and provides a different core benefit to its community compared to other platforms. We will all co-exist happily.
Q. Tell us about your experience of working with Google?
I'm very fond of my time at Google. I worked on a wide array of products besides orkut.com, including Google viewer, search, images, one bar and Google video. Some of my best memories were working with Marissa Mayer in the consumer team. She has class and brains and she's beautiful inside-out.
Q. There are several stories regarding the spark behind starting Orkut. What was the real drive behind it?
My biggest passions in life are people and technology. I have dedicated my career to connecting people through technology. We meet a finite number of people in our lifetimes, and who we come into contact with determines the course of our lives: how happy we are, how safe we feel and whether or not we find love. I believe that with technology, we can change peoples' lives forever by building new bridges and making it more likely for the magic to happen.
Q. During your initial days of coding Orkut, did you expect it to grow the way it did?
We were expecting orkut.com to be popular and attract a large audience. We were pleasantly surprised by how fast it grew and how global its reach became. We had a community with over 300 million members.
Q. Why did Google decide to adopt Orkut?
I had created orkut.com as a 20% project when I was an engineer at Google. Google has always been very supportive and excited about orkut.com.
Q. Does Google have investment in Hello?
Google is very supportive of our vision and team. Google is an investor but they are not involved in our daily operations.
Q. What was the reason for Orkut's decline?
Social media is a constantly evolving landscape. It's very important to stay in touch with the generation, usage patterns and community sensitivity. Orkut was a service designed for a generation that was just getting familiar and starting to use social media. I see hello.com as the new chapter, a continuation of the story.
Q. If you get a chance to undo any of your actions regarding Orkut, what would it be?
I usually don't look back and regret about anything in life. My experiences in my career and personal life have allowed me to learn and become better, professionally and personally. If you learn from your mistakes, then you haven't really failed at all.
Q. Every entrepreneur will have some personal heartfelt experiences with their brand. Can you please share one such experience with Orkut?
One of my friends who lives in New York met his girlfriend on orkut.com who lived in Estonia at the time. Now they are married and have a 10-year-old boy.
Q. Brazil and India were the two largest market bases of Orkut. Did this specification ever delimit its growth?
I believe the similarity between the cultures of Brazil and India had a huge impact on the popularity. The people of India and Brazil are both very friendly, open minded, welcoming and passionate and that resonated with the design and features of orkut.com. I don't believe that the success of a product in some territories has an impact on the limitation at other places. However, it's crucial to take into account the cultural sensitivities, communities, localization and content needs when providing services on different cultures.
Q. How do you see India as a prospective market for 'Hello'? What is the expansion policy and when will it be launched in India?
We are planning to launch it in India in the next few months. We have been working hard to incorporate the right set of content and features so that hello gives Indians the best experience. These efforts include adding India specific passion communities such as Cricket, Bollywood and support for user-generated channels.